Bang, bang, my baby shot me down
by I Am Leg7end
Summary: Set 8 years in the future. Max-Ernest left the Terces society for reasons yet to be discovered. He is now 21, in college and a prodigy in the human mind. But then Cass comes back and ruins everything. And Max-Ernest must force himself to finish the mess he got himself into. And that means facing Cass. And Cass was something he could never get his head around.
1. Chapter 1

I woke up, still not fully coherent. What time was it?! Shit. It was 8:45. Which means I have 15 minutes to get to collage. I repeat, shit!

I just about made it to my lectures in time, which was good, to say the least. I was doing a degree in Creative Writing, Physcology, Hypnosis and was, at the same time, studying magic and illusions. They were all big dreams for a little kid, but hey, at least I have a dead-end pizza delivery boy job to fall back on if all else fails.

I haven't thought about her for a while. 'Her' being Cass. After she got together with Yo-yoji, they spent most of their time with their tongues shoved down each others throat.

Eventually we stopped talking. Gave a polite 'Hi' in the corridors of the living hell that was High School. Cass and Yo-Yoji had their group of friends and I became the anti-social freak that I was destined to be. Fate is among the cruellest thing of human nature. Soon we just became faces in the hallway, nothing more than a memory of childish innocence.

Pietro stopped communicating as much, and eventually I only got a phone call once a year. And, bit by bit, all the ties I had with the Terces society were gone.

As I got older I became even more obsessed with magic, so you can imagine my parents dismay when I told them I was going to become a magician.

I soon as it was legal I got out of my parents grasp and moved to a dorm in Harvard. I'm doing well in collage, I have good recommendations, I get good grades, and I'm getting good at trying risky illusions and tricks, (my roommate is my lab rat) but there's only one thing screwing it up. Cass. Yo-Yoji. The Midnight Sun. Are they still alive? I don't know. And what about Cass and Yo-Yoji? Are they still together?

I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to know.

I was working as a waiter in a dingy diner at the south of town, it wasn't ideal, but it paid for tuition and I wasn't going to let my education slip away.

'Hello, I'm Max-Ernest, I'll be your server today.'

'So for you sir, I'm guessing your thinking of going with the All-American pizza?' I said, it was simple profiling, but this guy was big so fat, I didn't take a genius to guess he was going to go for the fattiest thing we had.

'Yep.' He said.

Well, he probably wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

- 3 hours later-

Thank God it was over!

After 3 and a half long hours of giving people the fattiest and greasiest food America had to offer my torture was over.

I was walking down 5th Avenue when I heard something. Not a good something, a bad something . The something you would hear in a horror movie. Defiantly not a good something to hear at 11 o'clock at night.

I quickened my pace, and checked behind me. Nothing was there but I still couldn't shake the feeling that something, or someone, was following me.

'Max-Ernest?'

There is nothing sweeter in this sad world than hearing a person you have such great feelings for say your name.

I turned around, afraid of what I would see.

'Cass?'


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't know what to do. Needless to say I had never been in this sort of situation before.

'What are you doing here?' I said, my voice breaking.

'I came to visit you and – '

I cut her off.

'Don't give me that crap' I said, raising my voice. '8 years, Cass, 8 years without you! Do you think that was easy? To suddenly just let go of everything?! Not all of us are emotionless as you, Cass.'

'And what, Max-Ernest? You think it was easy for me? To let you go? I didn't want to, but they said it's what we needed to do'

'Whose 'they'?' I asked

'It's too dangerous to discuss outside, come with me.' She said motioning foward.

'No, I'm not going any where with you until you tell me what' s going on!'

'Max-Ernest –'

And then there were hands on me... And then... There was blackness.

-_Some time later_-

I was tied to a chair. I was defiantly sure of that. Suddenly my mind flashed back to when I was only eleven. I remember being tied to a chair on a boat with Cass and rambling on about Houdini's famous knots. I didn't know this one though, so I was well and truly screwed.

There was also a bag over my head, which didn't help the current situation.

Suddenly the bag came off, and there was light, honest-to-goodness light!

I was so glad I could see and that I definitely wasn't suffering from sudden blindness, or that I had died and was stuck in some weird in-between land.

I suddenly realised that the situation wasn't getting much better when I found out I was in a dingy basement with a very unstable light-bulb hanging from the ceiling.

'Welcome back, Max-Ernest, we've missed you' I knew that voice. That raspy voice with a slight Italian accent to it. It was Pietro.

I tried to look around but I couldn't see anything.

'Why have you brought me here? What did I do? And what did Cass mean when she said –'

I was cut off by another voice.

'Max-Ernest, there's a lot to explain, please, for once in your life shut up and just listen. We'll tell you all we can and try to answer all your questions.'

I couldn't argue with that.

'There's a lot more to the terces society then you think. For obvious reasons, we had to keep you, Cass and Yo-Yoji knowing as little as possible. As you know the Terces society was made mainly to bring down the Midnight Sun and protect the secret. When Cass discovered the said 'secret', we thought that would be the end of it, no more trouble, all gone. We were wrong.'

'What-' I began to say, but was cut off be a deep voice.

'Remember what we said, son, shut up!'

I didn't argue.

'We told Cass and Yo-yoji to leave you alone, we wanted no ties between either of you, because if The Midnight Sun saw you together, they would suspect the worst. We wanted to protect you.'

'Anyway,' he continued saying, 'A few weeks ago we got a call from a unknown caller, saying that the Midnight Sun was coming back for vengeance and that they had found clues to another secret.'

'What do you mean?' I said, without realising.

'Basically, the 'secret' was a fake. The Midnight Sun had found a clue to the _real_ secret, and wanted us off their scent. Of course, at first we had our doubts, then we found out who the caller was. It was Cass. She had gone undercover and managed to find this out.'

'Well why am I here?'

'Because Max-Ernest, we need you. More than ever. And we know you, Cass and Yo-yoji work well together.'

'Who else is in this?'

'Owen, Cass and Yo-Yoji, Ezra and Teresa.'

'Ezra and Teresa?'

'Our two technical analysts, you'll be working with them.'

I thought this over. There were a lot of risks. I remember the adrenaline rush, the joy of discovering something new. I also remember the terror. The sense of not knowing and feeling like everything was a shot in the dark.

Well, I was going to hell anyway, I may as well do it thoroughly.

I can't believe I was doing this.

'Fine.' I said wearily.

I could feel the smile in the mans voice.

'Brilliant. Go to the gallery at 2 o'clock tomorrow and Ezra will meet you there and give you further instructions.'

I didn't feel to good about this.


	3. Chapter 3

I was so nervous. As you may have guessed, I hadn't been part of a secret organisation for a long time. I was walking down East 42nd Street and I came to the Art Gallery.

I walked in.

There was a major problem.

I didn't know _who_ I was looking for.

I came to a bench and sat down. I looked at the painting across from me. I had never had much of taste (or interest, for that matter) in art. Frankly, it was just a picture made of paint.

Somebody sat down beside me. I looked at him. He was thin and tall like me. He probably wasn't that much older, either.

'Don't you just love the vibrant Picasso used?'

'Not really,' I said, 'I doesn't make any sense, it doesn't look like anything.'

'You're Max-Ernest, aren't you?'

I looked at him.

'My name is Ezra. Pietro told me about you. I'm meant to give you your supplies.'

'Oh, okay,' I said, 'So...'

'Yeah, I don't think _here_ would be a safe place,' he said.

'What do you mean _safe_ ?!'

'Just... walk with me.'

We were in a smoky, dark café.

'_This can't be legal,'_ I thought.

'You want some coffee?' Ezra asked.

I looked at the black liquid in a cup and shook my head.

'I'm _not_ drinking that!'

'Alright, suit yourself.'

'Tell me why I'm here. Why does Pietro need me?'

He sighed, as if the subject itself was wearing him out.

'He told you, The Midnight Sun is back, it's not rocket science,' he said.

'Fine,' I said, trying to change subjects, 'What about Cass then? And Yo-Yoji?'

'Cass has been part of this for about seven months, Yo-Yoji followed soon after.'

'Are they...?'

'They're still a couple, yeah'

'Oh,' I said. Crap.

'Anyway, onto the gadgets!' He said cheerfully.

He took out a pencil.

'Don't get too excited,' he said, 'It's just a pencil, but you should carry one at all times because if you had nothing to protect you from the bad guy, a stab with one of these in the head is all it would take to do the job.'

'You mean..'

'Yes, I mean to kill a guy. Your not eleven anymore, this is the real deal. This,' he said taking out a sleek, black case, 'Is your new best friend.'

He pushed it over to me. I opened it up.

'_Shit_!' I said.

'Calm down, it's just a gun!'

'Exactly, it's a gun! I don't know how to use one of these!'

'You'll get your training soon,' He said calmly.

'I'm not like you, I can't kill a person and live with it!'

'It's okay, Max-Ernest, you won't be killing many people, believe me.'

He looked at his watch.

'I have to go, but you're to come to 35th Avenue tomorrow, and you'll meet the whole team.'

Oh God, social interaction. This was not a good day.

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been really busy. **

**Please review, it means a lot to me. If you have any suggestions for the story line, PM me.**

**Bye xxx **


	4. Chapter 4

'And of course from recent evaluations we now know that...'

The professor's words faded into darkness. Don't get me wrong, I'm a good student, I enjoy lectures, I'm on time and I have the perfect record. I _like_ college. It keeps me busy, it kept me from thinking about Cass. I was happy. I thought that maybe I would have a chance at a normal life, and I had gone without thinking about the Terces society for months on end. My life was on track, and I liked it like that.

I looked down at my notes, and my eyes scanned over to the pencil in my hand.

Could they really expect me to kill someone? That was the one thing I could never understand about the human mind. The fact that we're willing to go to the greatest lengths, and to take the life of one of our own, if we believe it's for a greater good. It's not a greater good, though is it? We trick our minds into believing that there is a greater good, when really, we're just looking for someone to blame.

My thoughts were quickly dashed when lectures were dismissed. The cluck of trainers on the hard wooden floor got me moving. As I was walking down Professor Harris stopped me.

'Max-Ernest,' he said with a dull tone, 'I want to talk to you about your essay.'

_Shit, what now?_

'Yes?'

'Your theory on the Placebo effect is amazing,' he said, his voice changing significantly.

_Phew._

'Thank you, sir.'

'Well, I was just wondering if you could maybe expand on it. I'd like to show it to The Board, but you'd have to have at least 200,000 words'

I looked, at him, astounded. Anyone who's work was read by The Board was classes as a genius.

'I'll work on it, sir.'

He smiled 'Good, I'm glad.'

I walked out of there feeling great. I looked at my watch.

'Fuck!' I muttered.

It was time to meet the team. Every time I hit rock bottom, someone hands me a shovel. Maybe I could just bail. I mean, I didn't have to show up, right? They couldn't force me into something.

Or could they?

They were willing to kill people to get this stupid secret, they had tied me up and covered me with a sunflower sack, just to ensure I would agree. So who's to say they wouldn't go to extreme lengths to get what they wanted?

'_Fuck it,'_ I thought, and made my way to 35th Avenue.

I walked down a string of little shops and stalls, looking for sighs of the team.

'Max-ernest!'

I looked over to see that Ezra guy.

'Hey,' I said.

'I knew you'd come! Thanks man you just earned me fifty bucks!'

'What do you-'

'No time to waste! Come on, meet the team,' he said, smiling.

He walked across the road into a small café.

I walked in.

_What is it with these people and bad coffee?_

'Over here!'

I looked around and saw the man I had grown to hate.

Pietro.


	5. Chapter 5

He had changed. That much I can say. He no longer had a small beard, its just stubble. His hair is slicked back, too. And he's wearing a suit. A goddamn suit!

'It's been a while, Max-Ernest,' He says, kindly.

'Since you tied me up and put a sack around my head? Yeah, it has.'

'Max-Ernest, please try to understand, it is extremely risky business we're getting into and-'

'Yes, exactly. It's extremely risky. Which is why I am not the man your looking for,' I say angrily.

'That's not what the Max-Ernest I used to know would say.'

He says it with a touch of hurt in his voice.

'Yeah, well he's long gone,' I snap.

'Please, Max-Ernest,' Ezra says, 'Just meet the rest of the team.'

I look at Ezra then Pietro.

'Crucified Christ,' I mutter.

'Fine.' I huff.

_Cass P.O.V_

I can't believe he agreed to come. I haven't seen him in so long.

Except... Expect the night we bound him up.

He seemed so hurt, so disturbed by all the events... But at least Pietro was right. He did come around, which is good. I just hope he stays, at least long enough that I can apologise for the other night.

'Hey,' I turn to see Yo-yoji, 'It'll be okay, Cass, I promise, he'll understand.'

I just smile.

'Ahem, everybody, this is Max-Ernest,' Pietro says.

I turn around, and I see him. I see my best friend.

I walk through the curtain and there she is. Cass.

'Max-Ernest,' She says, getting up out of her seat, 'It's been a long time.'

She hugs me. And I swear, in that moment, everything has stopped. It's just her and me. Her perfume crashing down on me like a wave. But then reality steps in and ruins it. I remember what she did, and why I haven't forgiven her. And I push her away.

'Max, I-'

'Don't, Cass, ' I say. It hurts me to say it, and I can tell it hurts for her to hear it, but I just can't allow myself to get attached. Because one of us will end up hurting. Most of the time it's me.

She steps back and returns to her seat, her ears turning red.

I scan the room, and I see Yo-Yoji sitting next to her.

'Maxi, my man!' He says and jumps out of his seat and slaps me on the back.

'Hey... man' I say.

'Good times, good times!' Pietro says.

'And this is my partner in crime Teresa!' Ezra says.

I look at the pale girl standing in front of me. She has long brown hair and long, lanky legs and arms.

'Hi, I'm Teresa,' She says.

'I'm Max-Ernest.'

'Well, now the pleasantries have been exchanged lets get down to business!,' Pietro claps his hands and ushers me forward, 'Take a seat.'

I sit down, and the chair creaks beneath me.

'Well, Max-Ernest, do you have any questions?'

'_Questions_?! I don't even know what's going on here!'

'We already told you-'

'Yes I know! The Midnight Sun blah blah blah. But I'm not like you, I can't kill a man! I can't keep secrets, never could. This is already effecting my school ethic! I'm getting PhD's in _three_ subjects and majoring in the other four. I've been chosen to show my essay to the board of Mensa! Mensa for God's sake! I'm on my way to becoming a magician, and a very good one if that, I've been invited into the Phoenix, and if that fails, I'm majoring in Physics and Nanotechnology, so I have something to fall back on. I'm also in an orchestra, so my life is actually pretty good. I have friends, I'm a straight A student and my Professors seem to like me. So I'm _not_ going to let you walk in and fuck up my life. Again.'

Ezra breaks the silence.

'Wow... You're really smart .'

I throw him a look.

'As a matter of fact, I would need to loose 89 I.Q points to be classified as smart. And before you say anything, I refuse to contribute to the word 'Genius' or 'Prodigy''

'Max-Ernest,' Pietro says, a sad look coming into his eyes, 'I know we may have hurt you. But we need you now, more than you know. You are incredibly intelligent, and that would be a great asset, I know you're uncomfortable with the idea of killing people, and that's okay. We just need you on our team to tell_ us_ what to do. We really need you Max-Ernest.'

'I'll think about it, okay?!'

I get up and leave, hoping I'll be able to sleep tonight.


	6. Chapter 6

I tossed and turned all night in my bed, desperate for sleep that would never come. After about an hour of insomnia, I gave and went to get the sleeping pills from my closet. I got one out of the packet, and examined it in my hand. Three or four of these, and it could end my life. End Cass, Yo-yoji, Pietro, everyone. I wonder what it feels like, to die. Especially from sleeping pills. Is there one significant moment of clarity, one moment of knowing that it's about to end, and one moment of looking back on your life, of your regrets? I snapped out of it, and dropped the pills on the floor. I looked at the pinky-white one in my hand and popped it into my mouth. I returned to bed, thinking things over. What was I getting myself into? I could feel the gun in its case under my bed. Maybe I didn't even have to take the sleeping pills, they had provided me with a much faster option. That's what joining the Terces society would be like. Taking one too many pills, or putting a bullet through your brain. There would be no turning back. If I said yes, then that was the equivalent to putting my soul and free-will into a box and giving to Pietro. It wouldn't be my soul, my life, it would be his. Which meant he could dispose of it at any minute. For a young person so full of life, I sure do think about death a lot.

* * *

I woke up startled and drenched in sweat. Last night had been... intense. If I said yes, what would I be sacrificing? My social life, for one. My sense of security, my future, everything I loved and had hopes for would never be safe with them. They would gradually find out everything about me. They would use it against me.

What would I become, should I join them? A paranoid insomniac, perhaps. Or a man too full of secrets, too full of a past I couldn't escape, and lose ends I had still to tie-up. I think I prefer the paranoid insomniac.

* * *

It was a Saturday, and Saturday was my day off. I needed to research what I could possibly be getting into. What exactly I was researching wasn't quite clear yet. I walked into the book shop, and approached the clerk.

'Um, excuse me, do you have any fiction books on spies? Or secret organisations? You know, those sort of things?'

The clerk paused for a moment, thinking. Then she jumped out of her seat, 'Come with me,' she said.

I followed her through the dusty maze of books. She reached up and grabbed two.

'These are the only ones that I think will cater to your needs. There are others but these are probably the best.'

'Thanks' I said.

I brought them over to a chair sat down and began reading. They were very slim, and not very bulky.

_'Espionage__or__spying__involves a government or individual obtaining information considered__secret__or__confidential__without the permission of the holder of the information._ _One of the most effective ways to gather data and information about an enemy (or potential enemy) is by infiltrating the enemy's ranks.'_

I thought about this. I was highly likely I would be meeting the Midnight Sun again, but how did I know that The Terces Society were the good guys? Or if somebody was working for the Midnight Sun within the Terces Society? How did I know who was who? When would I ever find out The Terces societies true intentions?

I snapped the book close, the dust was giving me a headache. I put my head in my hands and sighed. I couldn't walk away now, they wouldn't let me. I was in too deep. I knew too much. And if I backed out, what would they do to me? I knew Pietro was no man of violence, he didn't want to get his hands dirty, but I'm sure one of his bodyguards was. They would no doubt blackmail me into joining them if I didn't do it willingly. They know _everything._ And they would not hesitate to use it against me. Unless... Unless I played them at their own game. If I went along and joined them, but played by somebody else's rules? Or fed them false information? I didn't know why they suddenly came up out of the blue, but I could find out. And I could have a chance at getting a lot of answers.

It was time for a long overdue chat with The Midnight Sun.

**Sorry about the wait! **

**Please read&review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Having looked for The Midnight Sun-and failing, I quickly gave up the idea that I was ever going to find them. Even if there was a chance that they were still operating, It was probably underground. But I still needed to give The Terces Society an answer. What that answer would be- I have no clue. But there was a fundraiser tonight, which would perhaps take my mind off things and get my in with the right people. As the whole Terces Society fiasco was going on, I still had a career to think about. At least this would be a head start.

* * *

I looked at myself in the mirror.

'I look good in a suit!' I murmured to myself. After perfecting my hair for the tenth time, I made my way to the event.

'Max-Ernest!'

I turned to see my mentor walking towards me. 'Professor!'

'Glad you could make it!' He said, slapping me on the back.

'Wouldn't miss it for the world.'

'Now,' he said, handing me a glass of champagne, 'I've talked to a few potential benefactors for you, but there's one girl that stands out the most. She's really interested in you. Says she can get you into a lot of _organisations._'

'Oh!' I say, raising my eyebrows.

'C'mon, you'll meet her.'

I looked over crowds of people, and I saw her. That face. The face I could never forget, no matter how hard I tried.

She turned around.

'Max-Ernest!' She said coolly.

I stared, dumbfounded for a minute. I cleared my throat, 'Hello,' I began, 'Ms. Mauvais .'

* * *

'Well, I'll leave you to it!,' Professor said, walking away. I looked at his figure getting lost in the crowd, then turned my attention back to Ms. Mauvais. 'Well,' she said, 'It certainly has been a long time! Look at how you've grown!'

'Still wearing gloves, I see,' I said, noticing her covered hands.

'Let's not dwell on the past, Max-Ernest.'

I looked at her in shock and surprise.. 'But-Where did you... I looked but I couldn't-'

'Hush, now, Max-Ernest,' She said, cutting me off. 'Let me explain.' She linked her arm in mine and we began to walk around the great hall.

'Surely you didn't think we would be advertising the midnight Sun for everyone to see? No, It's too soon, we have to wait. Patience is key in these things, Max-Ernest.'

'But how did you-'

'How did I find out about you? I've been keeping tabs on you ever since 'The secret' was exploited. I couldn't let you out of my grasp. You were- you _are_ to important.'

'But what about Cass and Yo-Yoji?'

'Yes... We observed them for a while, but after a year, we realised that if anyone was going to help us with our... _matters_, you would be the one to do it.'

I picked up a chocolate marshmallow and popped it into my mouth. Chocolate was still a weakness of mine. 'What do you mean?' I asked, gently wiping my face to make sure there wasn't any chocolate on it.

She sighed, as if the answer was obvious. 'Max-Ernest, The Terces society and I aren't the only ones to know about you. There are _many_ people out there who want what you have. Some have wasted their lives trying to acquire it.'

I looked at her, gobsmacked. 'What do I have?' I asked quietly.

She looked me in the eyes, staring. 'Intelligence,' she whispered.

She broke her gaze, 'Intelligence,' She said louder, clearing her throat.

'What do you mean?' Once again she sighed, (this seemed to be a thing with her.)

'Max-Ernest, if I were to look at you now, and, judging only by your physical appearance, I would say that you are an abnormally tall, lanky young man, who stays up far too late.'

'How did you- Oh.' I cut myself off as I glanced in a mirror. There were dark, heavy bags under my eyes. At least she noticed my growth spurt,

'However,' she began, 'If I were to truly explore your mind, search every dark and dusty corner, every secret you want gone, I would say, you are a highly intelligent boy, beyond his years. A man who knows how to turn a watch to whistle and have it sing the time to you.'

She paused. 'But,' she said, her voice darker, 'I would also see a young boy, traumatized by all he has seen. A soul, so tortured by the information he knows. It is that information that may get you killed.'

I looked at her in shock and horror.

'You have more information about Pietro, The Terces Society and The Secret then most people have in their little finger,' she looked around, 'It's not safe to say anymore, you never know who's on who's side.'

Quickly, she grabbed a pen and paper and scribbled something down. 'Here,' she said handing it to me, 'Meet there tomorrow, 12:30.'

I nodded.

'And Max-Ernest,' she said quietly, 'Don't trust anyone until I explain more, it's too dangerous. For me and for you.'

I locked eyes with her, trying to see beneath the icy-grey sea. Just then, I broke out of it by hand slapping my back. I turned to see Professor De Vito smiling at us.

'So,' He began, 'What do you think of this guy?'

She laughed, 'Why, I love him!,' she said smiling at me, 'In fact, we're going to meet up tomorrow, I want to get to know him more.'

'Great! That's great! Well you have my number, call me if you have any queries,' Professor De Vito said, shaking her hand- or glove.

'Wonderful! Thank you so much, Alfred. See you tomorrow, Max-Ernest.'

I nodded at her, trying to fake a smile.

'This is fantastic!' De Vito said to me.

'Yeah,' I said, watching her figure blur into the crowd, 'Just brilliant.'

**Well, there you have it! Late night writing works wonders!**

**I hope you're all enjoying this so far :)**

**PLEASE review and give feedback, or else I won't know if there's something you want me to change, or if you like it or not.**

**If I get at least one review, I'll try have the next chapter up really soon :)**

**All constructive criticism is welcomed! **


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